What are some other ways to settle a matter out of court in Florida?
Answer: In certain situations, say for first time offenders, people who have never been in trouble before and then they pick up a criminal charge. Sometimes in specific counties they will be eligible to enter into what’s called a pre-trial intervention program. Which, it’s kind of like a mini-probation. You might have to pay a fine or take a class or get some kind of evaluation or do some community service hours. Whatever the case may be, you do the terms in the contract provided with the State Attorney’s Office, and if you successfully complete those and stay out of trouble during your mini-probation period, the State Attorney’s Office will go back and drop the charges against you so then you won’t have any conviction or anything on your record. Again, that’s for people who typically are first-time offenders who have never been in trouble with the law before, but that’s also a possibility as well.